Horseshoe Bend
Horseshoe Bend is one of the supermodels of our public lands. It’s the ultimate “look at” site. You go there, stand at the overlook and look at it; that’s it. Of course, you’ll also take a million pictures, but my point is that looking at it is the activity. And it’s worth it. Even the […]
Yosemite’s Ahwahnee Hotel
The Yosemite Majestic Hotel in Yosemite National Park opened in 1927 as people were beginning to flock to our country’s incredible public lands and wanted accommodations that matched the splendor of those natural places. Nestled into Yosemite Valley, its stone exterior blends seamlessly into the surrounding granite cliffs.
El Tovar Hotel, Grand Canyon National Park
The Grand Canyon’s historic El Tovar Hotel sits about a hundred feet from one of the grandest natural views in the world: the overlook into the canyon from the South Rim. In 1903, President Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon, and in a speech, he implored onlookers to leave the area as it was, unspoiled. He […]
Antelope Island State Park, Utah
Looking west toward the open prairie, we saw dozens of brown humps in the distance: bison grazing against a backdrop of yellow, grass-covered hills that rose 2,000 feet above the plain. Without knowing better, we would have thought this was the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone or the desolate Henry Mountains in southern Utah.
Goblin Valley State Park, Utah
The label “one-of-a-kind” has never been more appropriately used than when applied to Goblin Valley State Park. Its main feature is the unusual rock formations called goblins. Over millions of years, wind and water eroded the Entrada sandstone to form rounded spires. A typical goblin has a cap rock that’s wider than its base, giving […]
Buckskin Gulch
After our first visit to Buckskin Gulch, we looked at each other and asked, “How could there be a place this amazing that we’ve never heard of before?” Dumb luck was on our side when we hiked it for the first time; the canyon was bone dry, which saved us from having to wade through […]